Stargate Planner: Week of June 13-19

We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week. Also, if you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below.

Calendar

Monday,
June 13		 SGU S2 GauntletSTARGATE UNIVERSE on Sky One at 8 PM with “Gauntlet”, SGU’s series finale: The suspenseful space saga drops out of orbit and comes to an end. In a satisfying conclusion, Eli devises a high-risk plan to outwit the drones once and for all.
Tuesday,
June 14		 MICHAEL SHANKS‘s Red Riding Hood is released today on DVD and Blu-ray in North America.
Wednesday,
June 15
Thursday,
June 16		 BEAU BRIDGES is part of the Honorary Committee of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), which will be having its national conference starting today and ending on the 18th in Los Angeles. Bridges was selected for this honor because of his “deep engagement and significant commitment to live theatre over the years.”
Friday,
June 17		 ALAINA HUFFMAN will be attending Wizard World’s Comic Con in Philadelphia that starts today and runs until the 19th. Supporting and guest stars will also be present, including Julia Benson, Adam Baldwin, and Sean Patrick Flanery. Visit Wizard World for more information.
CHRISTOPHER JUDGE will be attending the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which begins today and runs until the 19th. SG-1 guest star Julian Sands is also scheduled to attend.
Saturday,
June 18
Sunday,
June 19		 Colin Cunningham in FALLING SKIES (TBS)COLIN CUNNINGHAM co-stars in the new Noah Wylie starrer Falling Skies, which premieres tonight at 9/8c on TNT. The show is about survivors of an attack by aliens that Earthlings call “Skitters.” Wylie plays Tom Mason, a history professor who forms a resistance group named the 2nd Mass because of its location in Boston. Cunningham’s character is described at his site ColinCunningham.com: “John Pope, the leader of a band of marauders, introduces himself to the 2nd Mass by taking a group of hostages and offering to exchange their freedom for weapons. For reasons known only to him, this smart, resourceful and charismatic ex-con takes great pleasure in killing skitters, even hunting them like wild game. A shameless opportunist, Pope considers the invasion the best thing that ever happened to him. He also happens to be an excellent chef.”
BEAU BRIDGES and his daughter Emily Bridges will be at Theatre West in Los Angeles at 7 PM PT for the musical reading of Something for the Boys, “featuring music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields,” according to Broadway World.

Reminders

For news as it happens, make sure to visit the STARGATE TWITTER SUPERFEED for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature BEYOND THE EVENT HORIZON, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe.

SG-1 and General Hank Landry in 'Ripple Effect'Our LJ COMPANION has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits. Some of our recent posts include:

  • Joseph Mallozzi has started reminiscing about Stargate SG-1‘s SEASON NINE. Visit the excerpts at Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. There’s more to come.

For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.

Paul McGillion Wins Leo Award for Short Drama

Grant and White from A FINE YOUNG MAN
McGillion as Mr. Grant and Wesley Salter as Mr. White in A FINE YOUNG MAN
Stargate actor Paul McGillion was awarded the Best Performance by a Male in a Short Drama Leo Award for his short A Fine Young Man! Congratulations!

The short film, which runs thirteen minutes, is set during the Cold War days of the 1960s. McGillion plays Mr. Barton Grant, one of two government men who go to a young man’s home to interview him for an important task. McGillion’s long-time friend Wesley Salter, who plays the other government man Mr. Bill White, co-produced the short, which was shot on 35mm film to give it the look of the period. The up-and-coming young Vancouver director Kevan Funk, who has had several short films accepted by film festivals world-wide, helmed the film.

A Fine Young Man was nominated for four Leo Awards and took all four of them home! The other awards were in the categories Best Short Drama, Best Direction in a Short Drama, and Best Screenwriting in a Short Drama, all of which were given to Kevan Funk.

One of the hopes for the short film was that if it were well-received, the production may seek to have it developed into a feature-length film. If the many awards this short has received both at film festivals and at the Leos are any indication, McGillion just might see that dream become a reality.

In other Leo Award news, Stargate Universe‘s only nomination did not see an award (Jennifer Spence in “Malice”), and Amanda Tapping‘s Sanctuary took home three of their possible seventeen awards (Overall Sound, Costume Design, and Supporting Performance by a Male).

To review the results of this year’s awards, visit the Leo Awards 2011 Winners index, where you’ll probably recognize several of the names as having participated in the Stargate franchise over its 14 years.

Stargate Planner: Week of June 6-12

We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week. Also, if you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below.

Calendar

Monday,
June 6		 SGU S2 BlockadeSTARGATE UNIVERSE on Sky One at 8 PM with “Blockade”: After discovering that the drones have found a way to pinpoint the stars that Destiny is planning to draw power from, Eli comes up with a plan: a high-risk one…
PAUL McGILLION guest stars in the first season finale of Canada’s Showcase’s Endgame. The episode is called “Deadman Talking” and premieres tonight at 10 PM ET. Paul plays Sebastian Wilks, a powerful lawyer who might be a murderer. This role was meant to be recurring, but the show has been cancelled.
AMANDA TAPPING‘s Sanctuary returns to Syfy at 10 PM ET with “Carentan.”
LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS will be on stage this week (June 6-12) to reprise his role as the King of Siam in The King and I at the Kansas City Starlight Theatre.
Tuesday,
June 7		 MICHAEL SHANKS‘s Australian film Arctic Blast is released today on DVD in North America.
JOE FLANIGAN‘s Syfy original movie Ferocious Planet is released on DVD today in Region 1 (North America)!

Wednesday,
June 8		 A Fine Young ManTonight is the Leo Award’s Celebration Awards Ceremony and we’ll find out if PAUL McGILLION has won any of the four nominations received by his short film A Fine Young Man. Visit the awards’ homepage for the details.
Today is LEXA DOIG‘s birthday! Tweet happy b’day wishes @LexaShmexa.
Thursday,
June 9		 SGU star ALAINA HUFFMAN will be attending the SUPERMAN CELEBRATION in Metropolis, Illinois, which starts today and runs until the 12th. Huffman play Black Canary in Smallville. Make sure to visit the con’s website for details.
Friday,
June 10		 JEWEL STAITE is scheduled to attend the CONTAGION: OUTBREAK! con in Omaha, Nebraska. The con starts today and runs until the 12th. Visit the con’s website for more information.
LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS hosts the next installment of the Military Channel’s An Officer and a Movie: Code Name: Emerald. Check out the production’s homepage for more information.
Today is MIKE DOPUD‘s birthday. Tweet happy b’day wishes @MikeDopud.
Saturday,
June 11		 SGU MaliceTonight we’ll find out if SGU’s JENNIFER SPENCE will receive her LEO AWARD for her performance in “Malice.”

AMANDA TAPPING is also up for an award for her performance in the Sanctuary episode “Breach,” which is one of the 17 nominations the show received this year. Visit the awards’ homepage for the details.

Sunday,
June 12

Reminders

For news as it happens, make sure to visit the STARGATE TWITTER SUPERFEED for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature BEYOND THE EVENT HORIZON, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe.

The cast of Stargate SG-1 in Season EightOur LJ COMPANION has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits. Some of our recent posts include:

For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.

Stargate Planner: Week of May 30-June 5

We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week. Also, if you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below.

Calendar

Monday,
May 30		 United States

Memorial Day (Traditional and Observed)

SGU S2 EpilogueSTARGATE UNIVERSE on Sky One at 8 PM with “Epilogue”: Destiny arrives at Novus, an abandoned planet caught in the throes of seismic destruction. Curiosity gets the better of the crew though, which has dire consequences.

Due to the Memorial Day holiday, AMANDA TAPPING‘s Sanctuary will not be on tonight, but will return to Syfy at 10 PM ET next week.

From PR-USA.net: “Documentary Channel (DOC) commemorates U.S. soldiers with a line up of outstanding military themed documentaries in a two-day tribute to Memorial Day on Monday, May 30 and Tuesday, May 31. Never seen before on television, the two-hour theatrical version of “Operation Homecoming” airs Monday, May 30, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). […] The Oscar nominated “Operation Homecoming” is a unique documentary that explores the firsthand accounts of American troops through their written words, and offers a profound window into the human side of the war in Iraq. “Operation Homecoming” evolved out of a National Endowment for the Arts project that gathered the writing of soldiers and their families who have participated in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Interviews and dramatic readings by such actors as Robert Duvall, Josh Lucas, BEAU BRIDGES, Blaire Underwood and Justin Kirk transform selections from this collection of writing into a deep examination of the experiences of the men and women who are serving in America’s armed forces.”

Tuesday,
May 31		 SGU S2 DVDStargate Universe Season Two is released on DVD today in Region 1 (North America)!

Solutions’ Summary: Through many difficult situations, the crew of the Destiny finally become a family, working together to continue Destiny‘s original mission. Along the way, they encounter remarkable civilizations and technology, and eventually have to resort to incredible measures to ensure their continued safety and existence.

Wednesday,
June 1		 Today is PATRICK GILMORE‘s birthday! Tweet happy b’day wishes @PatrickGilmore.
Thursday,
June 2		 Today is JEWEL STAITE‘s birthday! You can tweet your happy b’day wishes to her @JewelStaite.
Friday,
June 3

LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS hosts the next installment of the Military Channel’s An Officer and a Movie: Kelly’s Heroes. Check out the production’s homepage for more information.
Saturday,
June 4		 BRIAN J. SMITH and ROBERT PATRICK star in Syfy’s original movie Red Faction: Origins tonight at 9 PM ET. This movie bridges the gap between the video games Red Faction: Guerrilla and Red Faction: Armageddon. It follows the hero Alec Mason (Patrick) and his son Jake (Smith) as they search for Jake’s sister Lyra (Tamzin Merchant) only to find that she has become their enemy twelve years after her kidnapping.

CORIN NEMEC will be at the SALUTE TO SUPERNATURAL convention in Nashville, Tennessee, that is being held this weekend. Make sure to visit the website for the scheduling details.

Sunday,
June 5

Reminders

For news as it happens, make sure to visit the STARGATE TWITTER SUPERFEED for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature BEYOND THE EVENT HORIZON, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe.

Our LJ COMPANION has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits. Some of our recent posts include:

For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.

Stargate Alums Produce Comedy Pilot

Captain Starship poster with Paul McGillionStargate alumni from both sides of the camera recently shot a comedy pilot with a science fiction backdrop. If you want to see the pilot become a TV series, please read this article and heed our suggestions!

Called Captain Starship, the show follows the life of Pauly Sullivan, an actor who stars in a low-budget sci fi show of the same name. With the sci-fi setting, the show’s focus is on Pauly’s personal life with friends and family, who sport names like Dropkick, The Doogle, and The Commodore.

The pilot has many Stargate connections! It stars Paul McGillion as Pauly Sullivan. One of the executive producers is Ivon Bartok, whom Stargate fans will know as the producer of the DVD special features for all three Stargate series. Michael Shanks appears in a guest-starring role in the pilot, in what are reportedly some hilarious scenes with Paul. Brad Wright gave permission for the team to shoot  scenes in the Stargate production offices at The Bridge Studios. Lawren Bancroft Wilson, former Stargate script supervisor, was on hand to do still photography during the shoot. And those are just the connections we know about!

Michael Shanks, Paul McGillion in Captain StarshipThe pilot was shot in four days on a shoestring budget of only $12,000, with all the actors and crew agreeing to work for free. That’s a testament to the strength of the script and the the friendships among the cast and crew. Paul’s real-life good friend Michael Northey wrote the pilot with Paul in mind, and plays the role of Pauly’s friend on screen as well. Jesse Miller, another friend, directed the pilot.

You can read much more about the project in this great interview of Ivon Bartok by long-time sci fi reporter Steve Eramo.

Ivon and his colleagues are currently marketing the pilot so they can build enough interest and support for someone to buy it as a full-fledged TV series. If you’d like to help, here are a few things you can do now:

New Poster for Browder’s "Naught for Hire"

Stargate star Ben Browder appears on the new Naught for Hire poster that was just included on the webseries’ Facebook page, provided below for your viewing pleasure:

Naught for Hire poster featuring Ben Browder

The new image is perhaps a peace offering following the rather teasing message of May 12, when “Naught For Hire” wrote, “Fabian (and others), the admins who talk the most on this page are Jeffrey Berman (the producer and co-writer) and me, John E. Stith, (the other co-writer and author of the original stories). In general, I do all the fake news headlines and Jeffrey does the news updates. We don’t mean to be coy, but there are some significant discussions under way right now that will likely result in a much clearer view of who/what/where/when and we’re eager to share but have to avoid saying anything prematurely. We really do feel some key good news is imminent and it will be posted just as soon as things are official.”

This announcement might have to do with some of the news recently reported by the fansite Naught P.I. Agency in an article on the fact that Naught producer/writer Jeffrey Berman is one of the screenplay writers of the new J.K. Rowling biopic Magic Beyond Words (in which Stargate star Paul McGillion will be portraying Rowling’s father, by the way). They said, “Mr. Berman’s web series Naught for Hire starring Ben Browder is currently in development with Paramount Pictures.” Is it possible that Naught for Hire will be making the move from a web-based series to a television or theatrical production? We’ll have to wait for the official announcement, which apparently is coming soon!

Stargate Planner: Week of May 23-29

We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week. Also, if you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below.

Calendar

Monday,
May 23		 STARGATE UNIVERSE on Sky One at 8 PM with “Common Descent”: In an action-packed instalment, the crew stumble upon a human settlement, before discovering that the Drones have figured out a way to track Destiny.

AMANDA TAPPING‘s Sanctuary continues on Syfy at 10 PM ET with 3.17 “Normandy.”
Tuesday,
May 24
Wednesday,
May 25
Thursday,
May 26		 PAUL McGILLION will be at the PHOENIX COMICON, which starts today and runs until the 29th. Additional Stargate stars scheduled to be there include William Atherton, Adam Baldwin, Aaron Douglas, and Ernie Hudson. John Scalzi, creative consultant for SGU and award-winning sci-fi author, is also scheduled to attend.
Friday,
May 27

LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS hosts the next installment of the Military Channel’s An Officer and a Movie: Heartbreak Ridge. Check out the production’s homepage for more information.

DAVID BLUE is scheduled to appear at the COLLECTORMANIA 17 convention in Milton Keynes, England, which starts today and runs until the 30th. Additional Stargate guest stars will also be there, including Nicole de Boer, Robert Patrick, and John de Lancie. (Lou Diamond Phillips had to cancel.)
Saturday,
May 28
Sunday,
May 29

Reminders

For news as it happens, make sure to visit the STARGATE TWITTER SUPERFEED for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature BEYOND THE EVENT HORIZON, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe.

Our LJ COMPANION has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits. Some of our recent posts include:

For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.

Bridges Honored by Theatre Communications Group

Beau-BridgesStargate star Beau Bridges has been chosen as a member of the Honorary Committee of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) because of his “deep engagement and significant commitment to live theatre over the years.”

As of May 17, the list of Honorary Committee members also includes Jason Alexander, Ray Bradbury, John Cho, Gordon Davidson, Richard Dreyfuss, Jane Fonda, Ed Harris, Neil Patrick Harris, Allison Janney, Jane Kaczmarek, Alec Mapa, Gates McFadden, Laurie Metcalf, Alfred Molina, Chris Pine, Phylicia Rashad, Tim Robbins, James Roday, Herbert Siguenza, and Noah Wyle. Profiles for each member can be found at the TCG website.

Here’s what they have to say about Bridges:

Beau Bridges has appeared in over 60 feature films, including The Other Side of the Mountain, Norma Rae, Heart Like a Wheel, Sordid Lives, Max Payne, and The Fabulous Baker Boys, opposite his brother Jeff for which Beau received the Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Society of Film Critics.

In television, Bridges has received 13 Emmy nominations and won three, along with two Golden Globes, for Without Warning: The James Brady Story, The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom, and The Second Civil War. His recent guest star roles on My Name Is Earl, Desperate Housewives, and The Closer have all garnered Emmy nominations.

On the stage, Bridges performed in the original productions of The Trial of the Catonsville Nine by Father Daniel Berrigan at the Mark Taper Forum, on Broadway in William Inge’s Where’s Daddy? and Peter Ustinov’s Who’s Who in Hell, and Looking for Normal by Jane Anderson at the Geffen Playhouse. Bridges recently appeared with his daughter Emily in Acting: The First Six Lessons, a play they co-authored that will soon be published by Samuel French.

He won a 2009 Grammy for Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth in the category of Best Spoken Word Album. He is currently playing Sally Field’s boyfriend in the TV series Brothers & Sisters and will soon be seen in Alexander Payne’s The Descendants with George Clooney.

Bridges serves on the Board of the Wishtoyo Foundation, which protects the culture and history of coastal communities and fosters responsibility to our marine habitats through education, community action, and citizen enforcement. He also works with Plan USA, an organization that provides support for struggling communities throughout the world by providing financial aid, education, and awareness.

Congratulations, Mr. Bridges!

Read more about the TCG and its Honorary Committee, which will be celebrating their 50th anniversary at a convention in Los Angeles from June 16 through June 18, at Broadway World (Press Release) or visit the TCG website directly.

Robert Carlyle as Rumpelstiltskin in ABC’s "Once Upon a Time"

Some pictures from the pilot of ABC’s new fall show Once Upon a Time have surfaced, and Stargate star Robert Carlyle is in them!

In this new drama, which will air on Sundays at 8 PM ET, there is a mixture of “real life” and “fairy tale land,” and in addition to appearing as the normal-looking fella Mr. Gold (without the Dr. Nicholas Rush beard), Carlyle dons the makeup of the fairy tale character Rumplestiltskin … and he’s very creepy, and according to Carlyle himself, very insane.

SFX has images of Carlyle in both his personas, and the show’s homepage at ABC.com has a feature trailer, so make sure to visit both sites!

ABC’s description:

From the inventive minds of Lost executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis comes a bold new imagining of the world, where fairy tales and the modern-day are about to collide.

And they all lived happily ever after – or so everyone was led to believe. Emma Swan knows how to take care of herself. She’s a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who’s been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything starts to change. Henry is now 10 years old and in desperate need of Emma’s help. He believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world and is Snow White and Prince Charming’s missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen’s curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time, and brought them into our modern world. Of course Emma doesn’t believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It’s a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close… where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don’t remember who they once were. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.


Click on images to enlarge.

Jewel Staite on the End of Stargate

Jennifer Keller and Rodney McKay together in ENEMY AT THE GATE
Staite and Hewlett together again?
Stargate star Jewel Staite has posted her latest entry on Blastr, giving her thoughts on the end of the Stargate franchise:

Honestly, I can’t really believe it’s actually over. I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a lot of cast and crews over the years, but I can truly say I’ll always look back on my time on SG:A with a special kind of fondness. That show was a total dream job for me—shooting in my hometown, sleeping in my own bed every night, working with a fabulous and hilarious cast and crew who made me laugh on an hourly basis, being handcuffed and kidnapped in the woods … Well, maybe not so much on that last part. Truthfully, I was accepted with open arms into that family, and I will always be so incredibly grateful and proud to be a part of it. And I hope the fans are proud, too, of all of those seasons of television they helped get produced. Without them, it wouldn’t have gone on as long as it did, and I really hope they know that. It’s their show more than it was ever ours, and I’m just so thankful I got to be along for the ride.

Just because the Stargate days are over, doesn’t mean that Jewel hasn’t had the opportunity to work with her former castmates. Staite let her fans in on a little secret that she and fellow Blastr blogger David Hewlett have been working together on a special project:

Lucky for me, and unlucky for him, David Hewlett was just as bored to tears as I was. So we decided to embark on a little super secret project of our own. I can’t tell you much about it, except that you may quite possibly love it. Or you may hate it, in which case, I’m going to go and join that tumbleweed in the middle of the road. Or move to England to be closer to Kate, whichever. Regardless, wish us luck, will you? And hopefully we’ll be able to show you something soon!

Staite has a busy convention appearance ahead of her next month, including Contagion in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 10-12, and Tulsa Trek in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from June 24-26 (Christopher Judge and Armin Shimerman also plan to be there).

As far as her wishlist of projects, Staite hopes she will work again with Amanda Tapping, perhaps making a guest appearance on Sanctuary, as well as with former Firefly co-star Morena Baccarin on V. At least the Sanctuary guest spot has potential, but unfortunately, ABC recently cancelled V at the end of its second season.

Make sure to visit Blastr: Jewel Staite: How I feel about Stargate’s end—and more!